Last Thursday (19th February) the next version of Ubuntu (9.04 Jaunty Jackalope) went into ‘Feature Freeze’, which essentially means that the current testing version is as close as you will get to the finished product due on the 23rd April. Of course there are still bugs to be splatted and the last few kinks ironed out but Jaunty is already achieving 25sec boot times on netbooks…so the warrior bunny is coming out fighting and very fast.

BUT WAIT! What now? Still enjoying your current stable release of 8.10 Intrepid Ibex and waiting patiently for the fast approaching 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope how can things get better? Well a certain Mr. Mark Shuttleworth has officially announced that the next version of Ubuntu is in development and it is currently codenamed the 9.10 Karmic Koala.

The official statement can be found over on The Fridge which details the intentions for the new release for those interested in the server side of things and desktop users. Since I am a desktop user here is what Mark had to say on it;

First impressions count. We’re eagerly following the development of kernel mode setting, which promises a smooth and flicker-free startup. We’ll consider options like Red Hat’s Plymouth, for graphical boot on all the cards that support it. We made a splash years ago with Usplash, but it’s time to move to something newer and shinier. So the good news is, boot will be beautiful. The bad news is, you won’t have long to appreciate it! It only takes 35 days to make a whole Koala, so we think it should be possible to bring up a stylish desktop much faster. The goal for Jaunty on a netbook is 25 seconds, so let’s see how much faster we can get you all the way to a Koala desktop. We’re also hoping to deliver a new login experience that complements the graphical boot, and works well for small groups as well as very large installations.

For those of you who can relate to Mini Me, or already have a Dell Mini, the Ubuntu Netbook Edition will be updated to include all the latest technology from Moblin, and tuned to work even better on screens that are vertically challenged. With millions of Linux netbooks out there, we have been learning and adapting usability to make the Koala cuddlier than ever. We also want to ensure that the Netbook Remix installs easily and works brilliantly on all the latest netbook hardware, so consider this a call for testing Ubuntu 9.04 if you’re the proud owner of one of these dainty items.

The desktop will have a designer’s fingerprints all over it – we’re now beginning the serious push to a new look. Brown has served us well but the Koala is considering other options. Come to UDS for a preview of the whole new look.

For the full article Click Here (For the original Mark Shuttleworth blog Click Here)

The intent seems to be to hammer out more details at the Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) in Barcelona over the 25th – 29th May. More details regarding the UDS can be found by Clicking Here and Here.

Karmic Koala…I like the sound of this already! I am one of those Ubuntu Netbook Remix users so rest assured I will be installing the 9.04 version onto my Advent 4211. The new features being suggested for 9.10 has got my mouth watering. Jaunty has not even arrived and I am already more excited about the latest evolution of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu…Linux for human beings.